First the Republican National Committee (RNC) tried to shut Donald Trump up. Or at the very least they asked him to tone it down.

Thursday, the RNC -- acknowledging that Trump isn’t going away -- met with him to try to get him to sign the GOP's "loyalty pledge." So, who is the real winner?

Well, the RNC has Trump's signature and word that he will now support the eventual GOP nominee -- if it's not him -- and won't run as a third party candidate.

Advantage: RNC.

The real story is what it means for all the other GOP candidates.

But -- the truth of the matter is -- the pledge is not legally binding -- so in reality it doesn't really mean a thing.

Advantage: Trump.

But with all the focus on Trump -- i think the real story is what it means for all the other GOP candidates who must now also sign the pledge. Now, they will be on the hook to support Trump if he actually becomes the Party's nominee.

So -- will they really do that? To me, that puts a heavier burden on the other 16 candidates in the race -- who never ever envisioned they'd have to one day say "I support Trump."